


one (5sos au//malum)

by Lalophobia



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5SOS - Freeform, BoyxBoy, Death, F/M, Gay, GirlxBoy, M/M, idek, malum, one - Freeform, original - Freeform, straight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 23:50:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7075777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalophobia/pseuds/Lalophobia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"and then there was one."<br/>in which a psycho locks eight teenagers into a secluded area, where they have to try and find a way out while he kills them off one by one.</p><p> </p><p>[michael clifford x original female character + michael clifford x calum hood]</p>
            </blockquote>





	one (5sos au//malum)

_They started with eight._

Josie was the first one to wake up, blinking her eyes rapidly to try and process the unfamiliar surroundings. Her eyes darted around, widening at the sight of seven - count them - unfamiliar people unconscious on the floor.

"Shit, what happened last night?" she asked herself in a whisper, careful not to awake any of the strangers.

As Josie rubbed her aching head - messing up her perfect brown hair in the process - she heard a groan. It was obviously someone from the floor.

"What's going on?" she heard a slightly familiar voice ask groggily. But, how could the voice be familiar? She had never met anyone in this room.

"Uh, hi. My name's Josie," she introduces, straining to get a better look at the unknown male. Unless it was a female with a masculine voice, it was definitely a guy.

"My name's Michael," he replies, shaking her hand. Josie couldn't help but feel the familiarity in his warm hand.

She snaked her arm back, blushing.

"Do you know anyone here?" Josie asked, trying to devoid color from her red cheeks.

"Uh, no, I don't, do you?" Michael replied, looking entirely confused.

Josie shakes her head, sighing. "I wish I did," she muttered. Michael smiled, brushing a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.

He coughed, blushing, uttering the words, "it was annoying me."

Josie laughed, and Michael felt like her knew everything about her. But, that was impossible. They had only just met.

' _Maybe this was one of those things from another life_?', he thought to himself.

He concluded that that was probably it.

Nothing more than an encounter in their previous life.

 _Oh, how precious_. An unknown voice stated with a laugh. The two teenagers didn't know where it was coming from. _You just don't remember anything._

"How?" Josie asked, hoping to get an answer.

 _There are eight files scattered around the room, find yours and you'll remember everything_.

 _But, here's the thing_ , the voice spoke, when Josie and Michael started scrambling around. _You have to wait for everyone else._

Josie and Michael locked eyes and sighed monotonously.

They anxiously started tapping their fingers against the rough gravel ground.

There was a laugh.

_I control when they wake up, have fun._

"So, that...thing, has planned _everything_?" Josie asked the boy.

"You woke up first, I would expect _you_ to know," Michael confesses.

"Michael," Josie says sternly, "I know about as much as you do."

" _Shut the hell up,_ I'm trying to sleep."

Their faces light up in joy, as a female sits up.

"Geez, you guys are so loud." She looked familiar, too.

"What's your name?" Josie asked softly, politely.

"First, what's yours?" the girl asked skeptically, even though in the back of her mind, something told her to trust them.

"I'm Josie, and this is Michael."

"Cool, I'm Serena," the girl stated.

Serena was pretty, Josie had to admit. She was a teansie bit jealous.

"Your name's cute," Michael says, grinning.

"Aww thanks," Serena blushes, reaching forward and pinching Michael's cheeks. "Can I call you Mikey? That's cute too."

Michael shrugs and smiles.

Josie stayed back, letting them converse.

She couldn't help the jealousy flowing through her veins.

But, she had only just met Serena; she shouldn't be jealous.

Though, it doesn't mean it can't be done.

"Josie, c'mon, join in the conversation," Serena said with a small smile and giggle.

Josie went ahead.

        - - - - - - - - - -

Michael stood over the remaining sleeping figures. He cocked his head to the side, reaching into the back of his mind, tryingtrying _trying_ to remember at least one of them.

He came up empty.

He sighed, walking back over to the girls.

They just needed to wait until everyone woke up. And so Michael sat. And waited. And waited. Waiting. For so long.

"Where are we?"

"Uh, hi," Josie said, nervous that this person would turn out the same as Serena. "Look Michael, it's a boy, like you."

"He's not an ' _it'_ ," Michael retorts, pulling a face. Josie frowns, realising he wasn't catching on that it was a joke.

The boy clears his throat, "where are we?"

"We don't know," Serena answers, before Josie could. Josie glared at her.

"Oh."

"What's your name?" Michael asks.

"I--I don't know," the boy answers. Michael frowns and furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Okay, we'll call you ' _Unknown_ ' for now," he announces chirpily a second later. Unknown smiles and gives each teen a hug.

"Thanks, for, uh - being so accepting, I guess." Unknown rubs his head softly as Michael lays a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Josie was accepting of me, and we were accepting of Serena," Michael dismisses.

' _No_ ', Josie though to herself. ' _You were accepting of Serena.'_

' _Why are they so open_?' Unknown thought absentmindedly.

' _Why do I feel stronger about him than I do with Serena and Josie_?' Michael questioned, frowning slightly.

They were questions only time would solve.

        - - - - - - - - - -

Unknown didn't know what was happening in his mind. He didn't remember anything. He didn't remember his name (obviously), didn't remember his age...his sexuality. So, he was safe to think about Michael in the way girls think about boys (well...majority of girls).

The boy let his mind wander to the only other boy awake.

        - - - - - - - - - -

"Unknown, what are you thinking about?" Josie asked. Unknown shook his head, dispelling any thoughts left in his mind of Michael.

"Nothing," he quickly dismissed, waving his hand in an absentminded manner.

Josie raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, disbelieving in him.

"Oh please, like you don't have a secret," he scoffs. Josie freezes, before pfft-ing and plastering an unconvincing smile on her face.

"Ha, good joke."

"Oh ha ha!" Unknown practically yells, sarcastically. He then abruptly gets up and walks over to Michael, sitting down next to him.

' _Great_ ,' Josie thought, annoyed.

"Hi Unknown, what's going on?" Michael asks, grabbing the boy's hand. Unknown noticed...he just didn't care.

Scratch that - he did care. He cared so much, his mind exploding with thoughts of Michael invading his mind, questions flowing through, confusion...he was confused.

"I like you."

\- - - - - - - - - -

Michael hadn't spoken to Unknown in what felt like hours (they didn't know because there was no way to tell time.)

Michael wasn't angry at him...he was just cautious.

They didn't remember anything, so Michael could just as easily be gay, as he could be straight.

Michael shook his head, not wanting to think about this any longer.

        - - - - - - - - - -

_Have fun._

Serena jumped at the voice.

"What the hell was that?" she asked Josie, who glared at her and turned away. "Okay," she says, dragging the word out.

Serena then realized that another stranger was waking up. She quickly shuffled over to them, hovering over the figure.

"Hello?" she asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"Serena!" Josie hissed, grabbing the girl's wrist and dragging her back.

"Hey! Wait!" Serena yelled, gripping Josie's hand and prying it off her wrist. "You're not the boss of me!"

"You don't know what could happen! If you interfere, they could never wake up!" Josie scolded.

"You're just jealous because Michael's been paying more attention to me than you!" Serena screams. "You're nothing but a _selfish bitch_."

Serena stands up and walks away. As she passes Unknown, he gives her a high-five, saying, "someone had to do it."

Serena smiled smugly, pulling him into a quick hug before walking away again.

They heard a groan - which they weren't surprised by (they were used to it by now).

Serena then ran back over, grabbing Unknown and Michael by the hand, rushing, pulling the boys along behind her, to see whom it was that awoken.

As Serena, Michael and Unknown slowed to a stop, and Josie approached, there was an ear-piercing scream.

" _Freaking hell_!" Serena yelled, blocking her ears and cringing.

"What?" Unknown yells, trying to make a joke out of the situation. It failed.

The screaming stopped and everyone unblocked their ears. Slowly, the remaining four people rose, suddenly awake.

"Oh my God! We've only dealt with one person at a time...and..and, now _this_!" Josie yells, clearly frustrated.

"Quick question," one of the boys--the one who was screaming, Josie recognised--piped up. "Where are we?"

Josie groans, running her hands down her face in an annoyed manner. "We don't know!"

"Josie!" Michael scolds her. "Be nice!"

Josie rolls her eyes, but keeps quiet.

"Hey, I'm Michael," Michael greets.

"I'm Serena."

"Josie."

"Who's he?" one of the girls asked, pointing to Unknown.

"I don't know. They call me Unknown," he gestures to Josie, Michael and Serena when replying. The girl nods.

"I'm Luke," the boy who had been screaming introduces. "Um..I guess it's nice to meet you guys?"

"My name's April," the girl who had asked about Unknown stated.

"I like your name," the other boy on the floor commented.

"Thanks," April replied. "What's yours?"

"Right," he says, clapping his hands. "The name's Ashton."

"Claire," the other girl says, so quiet barely anyone heard her.

"You're pretty," Serena blurted out.

' _Okay_ ', Josie thought, ' _so maybe she swings for the other team.'_

"T-thanks," Claire replied, stumbling over the word. She wasn't as outgoing as everyone else seemed to be.

"Oh my God!" Josie yelled, standing up. "The files!"

Everyone but Michael was confused, so the two explained it to everyone else.

"And then everyone will find out about themselves!" Michael exclaimed ecstatically.

"I'll find out my name!" Unknown shouts, and everyone cheers for him. They were happy.

"Let's get--"

_Not so fast!_

Josie groaned, "you again!"

_Shut your mouth._

Josie shut up.

_There's something you should know..._

"Well? What is it?" Luke asked.

_There's someone that knows everything. And I mean everything._

Everyone was silent.

_You may now look for the files._

"Someone knows my name..." Unknown mumbles.

"Would you stop! No one cares if someone knows your name! I don't want to know your name!" Josie yells.

Unknown frowns, tears forming in his eyes. He sits down on the ground and pulling legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in his knees.

"Look what you did Josie!" April yells. She didn't like seeing people sad. Josie rolled her eyes. "You better be nicer, or you'll be dead. There're seven other people who could eventually want to see you lying on the floor in a pool of your own blood. Watch it."

Josie looked at her, momentarily unblinking.

When she did blink, she scowled at April.

 _"I already want her dead_ ," Unknown mumbles, rubbing the unshed tears from his eyes.

"Shut up."

Unknown pokes his tongue out at her, blowing raspberries in a "make me" sort of attitude.

"I hate you," Josie states through gritted teeth.

"The feeling's mutual."

\- - - - - - - - - -

Everyone was off on a search for the files.

"Unknown!" Claire yells out, running to stop him.

"Yeah?" he asked, confused.

In the tiniest whisper, Claire said, "your name's Calum."

He was shocked. She knew his name.

"Y-you're the one that--"

" _Ssh_!" Claire shushes. "I don't want them to know, Calum."

' _Calum_ ', he thought. ' _I like my name.'_

Claire pats his shoulder and walks off.

"Calum." he whispers.

\- - - - - - - - - -

Serena was the first to find a file.

" _Fuck_ , it's Michael's," she said, after opening it. "Michael!"

He immediately raced over and read it. He tensed and frowned. Serena leans over to read it and he slams it shut.

" _No_."

\- - - - - - - - - -

Eventually, everyone found their files.

"My name's Calum!" Calum screamed, throwing his hands into the air.

Josie rolls her eyes, "no one cares."

Serena puts her hand on Calum's shoulder, " _I_ care."

"So do I," Michael says. "Calum's my best friend." Calum's eyes sparkle with happiness.

"I care," April and Luke say at the same time.

"Same," Ashton agrees. Claire nods along, "agreed." Josie groans.

"Look, okay, _I_ don't care," she explains, checking her nails. They were bitten down to the skin.

"Can't believe I'm dating her," Michael mumbled, glaring at the ground.

"What?" Serena almost screamed. "You're _dating_ her? Why?"

"I don't know! I just found out!" Michael screams, tugging at his hair in a frustrated manner. Josie smirks. "Shut up, Josie."

"What?" she asked, feigning innocent. "I didn't say anything."

Calum glares at her. He hated Josie with a burning passion, and no one could ever change that. He had hated her from the beginning--apparently since she met her the first time.

Calum had finally found out why he was so attracted to Michael--he was in love with him. Michael was his best friend, and he was in love with him.

"Don't be like that, Calum," she purred in an attempt to be seductive, putting her hand on Michael's shoulder. Michael shrugged it off and looked down at the ground.

_He didn't like her at all._

\- - - - - - - - - -

"This is why everyone was so familiar," April said, before there was a cackling laugh. She hid in the side of the person closest to her. It was Josie. She pushed her away.

 _How sweet, a little friendly reunion_.

Michael grabbed Calum's hand, squeezing it. Because, secretly, Calum was the only person who could give him the comfort he needed.

_That won't last long._

And the floor fell out from underneath them.

\- - - - - - - - - -

She couldn't breathe. She was taking heaving breaths, but no oxygen was reaching her lungs. She was coughing up smoke, she was hyperventilating. _She_ _was dying_.

" _Serena_!" Claire screamed. It was the loudest she had spoken. "Don't die one me!"

She rushed over, trying everything she could to save the girl. She even gave her mouth-to-mouth.

When Serena's chest stopped rising and falling, when she stopped coughing, Claire cried. It was the cry of true pain--pain you could never get over.

And that was when Claire realised it was just her and Serena's lifeless body. She cried harder--but no one heard.

"Help!" she screamed. "Someone help me!"

She was never claustrophobic, but she could feel everything collapsing on her, the weight of everything.

The weight of all the facts, the fact that she knew everything.

It was crushing her and she wanted out. She didn't want to be in this stupid game anymore.

"Someone! Please! Just set me free!" she was screaming at the top of her lungs. "I don't want to play this game anymore!"

Her voice was indecipherable through her rough sobs. She looked down at Serena.

" _Bring her back or take me with her_!"

\- - - - - - - - - -

Everything was dark. Michael couldn't see.

"Hello? Anyone there?" he asked softly. "April? Claire? Serena? Calum? Luke? Ashton?"

He didn't dare call out Josie's name.

When he got no response, he sighed, "Josie?" her name was like poison on his tongue.

"Who is that?" he heard a male voice ask. It definitely was not Josie, to the boy's relief.

"Michael, who are you?"

"Oh thank fucking god it's not Josie," the voice replied.

"Rude, I'm in this room, too." _That_ was Josie.

Michael cringed, sucking in a breath.

"Fuck, fucking, fuckidy fucker." **[a/n: fucker corrected to dicker wtf]**

"Who _are_ you?" Michael asked again.

"Calum, sorry."

Everything was suddenly bright. Calum and Josie were both tied up.

"I was kind of wishing my life wouldn't be in Josie's hands."

\- - - - - - - - - -

Luke was in a room with Ashton and April. Alliteration, ha.

He was cross-legged and everything seemed fine.

Until,

A

Wall

Exploded.

Rubble was thrown everywhere, ringing the only thing audible in Luke's ears. He was aware that everyone was screaming--even himself--he just couldn't hear it.

There were no words to describe the panic, the thought that they could die any minute.

But they didn't.

They all coughed out smoke, seeing what had been behind the wall.

"Guys!" It was Michael.

"Michael!" They all yelled. They ran up to hug the boy. There was a cough.

Everyone but Michael turned around (he was facing that way) to see who did it. It was Josie and Calum.

"Ca--" Ashton was cut off by the shout of:

_"Bring me back or take me with her!"_

"That was Claire," Luke said. "I know it was Claire. It was Claire, guys."

"Wait, the only other person missing is Serena..." Michael trailed off, hanging his head in sorrow. "So...Serena's dead..?"

Everyone nodded solemnly.

 _'It's not fair,'_ he thought. _'They don't deserve to die.'_

It was all a sick joke, a game nobody wanted to play.

Michael stood up. He pushed his hands against the wall. The wall opened and he fell back. There were quiet sobs.

"Claire?" he whispered. "Is that you..?"

"M-Michael?" she stuttered. Yeah, it was Claire.

"Are you--" the girl cut him off when she raced up to him and squeezed him in a big hug.

"Oh my god, you're all alright!" she said, burying her face into Michael's shoulder. "I thought you had ended up like Serena..." She trailed off, and Michael could feel his shirt dampening.

Michael wrapped his arms around her, but she pushed away, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

"I'm alright, it's alright."

No one believed her.

"..I hate to be rude, but can someone untie me?" Josie asked.

Luke shot her a look, untying Calum, but leaving her there.

They all glared at her, attempting to walk away. But, there was something stopping them.

_You need her, idiots._

Claire untied Josie. If they were going to survive, they had to listen to that voice.

And they definitely wanted to survive.

_And then there were seven._

\- - - - - - - - - -

The seven teenagers were exhausted, they had been walking for what seemed like hours, only to get nowhere.

Everything looked the same, and it was starting to drive them all insane.

"Oh look, _another_ _wall_ ," Luke said sarcastically. Everything was so silent after that, that they heard April drop to the floor.

"Too--" _gasp_ "unfit for--" _gasp_ "this." _coughing._

The other six teenagers were starting to worry-- _what if what happened with Serena happened with April?_

April was still in a coughing fit, and Claire raced over and dropped to her knees, patting the other girl on the back to try and get her to stop coughing.

It didn't work.

"No," Claire whispered. " _Not again."_ Not while she was in Claire's arms; she couldn't deal with that one more time.

April wasn't going to die, not while Claire could help it. She blocked everything out, focusing on the girl coughing in her arms.

But it was too late, there was nothing to do. Claire couldn't help but think that the person that trapped them in here had something to do with his--no one could die from _walking,_ no one should be _coughing this long._

Claire shut her eyes tight, not sure she'd be able to handle this once more. She could hear the coughs beginning to slow, hoping she was getting better.

That hope was crushed when she felt April's breath slowing, until it came to a stop.

Claire shut her eyes tighter, trying to fight back the tears threatening to escape. Not again. _Not again_.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her back, but it was just Ashton.

"You okay?" he asked. He knew it was a stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay. He just wanted to see if she still had the strength to fake it; the strength to keep going.

"Yeah, fine," she whispered, clearly lying. Ashton didn't care, though. This is what he knew would happen.

He reached out his hand for her to take, which she did, and pulled her up.

They walked back to the group together, hands not letting go of each other.

"Is she..?" Luke asked, trailing off. He received a nod from Ashton in return, and they all knew what that meant.

_And then there were six._

\- - - - - - - - - -

Everyone walked in silence, though it was difficult for Calum to walk properly with Michael clinging to him from behind.

"Mike, I can't walk properly," he whispered to his best friend, who pouted, but reluctantly let go anyway.

Calum sighed in relief until he felt Michael's hand in his own.

"Can't keep your hands off me, can you?" Calum joked, making Michael laugh a bit. "But I get it; you're scared. I'll hold your hand as much as you want me to."

Michael looked up at Calum, smiling. He couldn't believe he had such an amazing best friend. Even though he wished he was dating Calum, not Josie. But, unfortunately, Calum Hood is not gay.

Everyone continued to walk in silence, until Josie screamed out in pain.

"Ow! Fuck!" she yelled. "Why, after all this pointless walking, with nothing but walls, and floor, is there a _fucking rock_ on the ground?"

Everyone groaned. They thought she would be the next to go, but she wasn't. Unfortunately.

"Oh, shut up," she hissed at everyone.

Everybody did.

It got silent again, until someone yawned.

"I vote we stop and sleep," Claire spoke. She received a chorus of agreement sounds.

That's how Michael found himself cuddled up to Calum.

Everything was silent, and it was perfect. He loved it. He loved _Calum._

\- - - - - - - - - -

Nobody slept very long. At least, it only felt like they got a tiny bit of sleep. Nobody knew for sure.

They were expecting to wake up to screams of pain but they didn't. And only Luke was still asleep.

Claire starting panicking, shuffling over and checking his pulse and heart beat. Everyone knew what happened as soon as she curled up into a ball and they heard sobbing.

" _Why?_ " she whispered. "Why _us?_ What did we _do?_ "

It was when Michael went to comfort her that everybody realised it wasn't _Claire_ crying. It was Ashton.

Calum walked over to the boy and hugged him tight, mumbling "it's going to be alright."

Ashton cried even harder, hugging the other boy tight. "He was my best friend," he whispered.

Everyone was dying so fast, it was killing them _all._

Ashton let go of Calum, who did the same, and wiped his eyes. He put on a smile that everyone could see was fake, and said "let's go!"

_And then there were five._

\- - - - - - - - - -

"Do you think Ashton's okay?" Michael asked Calum when they started walking again. Calum gave his best friend a weird look before replying.

"Of course he's not," he said. "How would you feel if _I_ died?"

Michael tried to picture this. _Holy fuck_ , it was a terrible thought. Tears began to brim his eyes, but he blinked them away and smiled.

"I guess it would be great not having you bossing me around all the time," he joked, gently shoving Calum to the side, who laughed.

Calum ruffled his Michael's hair, wishing that they could just lay down and be together.

\- - - - - - - - - -

"Who do you think's gonna be the next to die?" Josie asked.

Everyone was surprised. They wouldn't put it past her to ask the question, but they didn't _actually_ think she'd say it.

"Me," Ashton said. "Or, at least, I can hope."

Claire side-hugged Ashton, stopping him from walking.

When she let go, Ashton asked "what was that for?"

"You seemed like you needed it," she replied, smiling, before they ran to catch up with the others.

"Thanks," he whispered, showing a smile that almost matched hers.

"You're cute when you smile," she said, before wandering over to Calum and Michael, resting her arms over their shoulders and walking with them.

"Hi Claire," the two boys say in sync, making Claire giggling.

"Hey Michael, I have a question for you," Claire asked.

"Shoot," Michael replied. Claire smirked.

"When we get out of here, will you dump Josie for Calum."

Michael choked on air and Calum's cheeks went bright red.

"I-um, I'll, uh, dump Josie for sure," Michael says. "But, um, I don't like boys."

"But you like Calum," Claire said. "I can see the way you look at him."

Michael looked at Calum, who was covering his face in embarrassment. But that didn't last long before Michael realised that Claire was right and kissed him.

\- - - - - - - - - -

Josie and Ashton didn't realise that the other three had stopped, so they proceeded walking. Not that the three minded.

Claire was happy she could help the two boys and Michael and Calum were two transfixed in each other to realise that it was just them three.

When the two boys stopped kissing, Michael covered his face, whispering "I'm so so sorry," repeatedly under his breath. Calum laughed, moving Michael's hands out of the way.

"It's okay, Mike. It really is."

"No it's not, Cal." Michael said. "We're boys. I'm straight. You're--"

"If you say I'm straight I'll punch you in the gut," Calum interrupted. Michael was so confused. "Michael, I'm gay."

"You--you never told me...why?"

"Because I have feelings for you, silly," Calum explained, flicking Michael's nose. "If I told you I was gay, then you'd probably beg me to tell you who I like. And since I like you, that was definitely not the best option."

Michael was dumbstruck, but before he could reply, there was a scream and he saw Josie running towards them. She was crying.

Even though Michael didn't like her, he could feel a ping of sympathy in his heart.

"It's--It's A-A--" she didn't have to finish that sentence for everybody to know what she meant.

"It's okay," Michael said, pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back. "What happened?"

"The-the path wa-was clear and the-then all of a-a sudden th-ere was a...a _boulder_."

She didn't need to finish that sentence, either.

_And then there were four._

  - - - - - - - - - -

"He was right," Calum said suddenly. Michael looked at him confusedly. "He said he'd hoped to be the next one. And guess what? He was."

"Oh." Everything was silent after that.

"I don't know if I can't do this anymore," Claire said suddenly. "I mean, I've had history with _all of you_." She decided to come clean. "I think their keeping me alive because I know everything."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Josie asked, but she wasn't angry.

" _I_ knew," Calum said. Josie and Michael looked at him.

"And you didn't tell us?" Josie said. She was angry.

"Claire said she didn't want anybody to know!"

"That's how she knew I like Calum," Michael said. "But, wait, how did you know, Cal?"

"She told me my name," he responded easily.

"Back up, you like _Calum_?" Josie asked, looking at Michael. "Don't forget that you're still dating me. That's cheating."

"Like you give a shit," Michael replied spitefully. "You've been cheating on me since day one!"

"It was an _accident!"_

" _Multiple_ accident _s_ ," Michael made a show of emphasising the 's'.

"Alright. Multiple. Plural. I don't give a single fuck because I _never liked you_ ," Josie was beyond furious, her hands balled into fists. "And look, you're too focussed on yelling at me to see that Claire fainted. Knowing our circumstances, she's probably _dead."_

Michael turned to see Calum kneeling over Claire. He walked over and kneeled down but Calum shook his head.

"She _was_ done."

_And then there were three._

  - - - - - - - - - -

Michael and Calum walked in front of Josie. Michael started to hope that they had lost her.

They had both been silent since _Claire_ , but Michael refused to let go of Calum's hand.

"Are you okay, Mike?" Calum knew he wasn't okay, but he wanted to hear his voice again.

"No," the older boy grumbled. Calum stopped him from walking. "Cal, what the fu--" Michael couldn't finish his sentence because Calum was kissing him.

When they broke apart, Calum whispered, "Mike, I'm your best friend. Please tell me what's wrong."

Michael sighed, grabbed Calum's hand and started walking again.

"The thing is, I _really_ like you, Cal. I have for ages. And now that you know, we might not even make it out of here--wherever _here_ is--alive." Michael explained. Calum shook his head.

"Don't be so negative. We'll be out of here soon, promise." Calum said. Truth be told, he didn't know what he was saying. They _won't_ make it out of there.

  - - - - - - - - - -

"Fuck!" The two boys heard Josie scream, and Michael crossed his fingers, before realising that was a dick move and un-crossing them. "Ow."

"What happened?" Calum called out to her.

"I tripped on a fucking rock!" Calum laughed, making Michael giggle. Calum loved his giggle. "No you don't understand. The last time that happened, someone _died._ "

"Yeah, but, that wasn't something we could help. Luke died in his sleep."

But before Josie could reply, she felt something under her foot. She picked it up and swallowed hard.

"This _definitely_ isn't a rock," she muttered, walking up to the two boys. "It's for Michael."

Michael took it. He felt around the edges because he didn't want to believe it to be true. But it was. He was just given a gun.

There was a note sticky-taped to it. It had his name on it. He read it, feeling tears brim his eyes.

"What's wrong, Mikey?" Calum asked. Michael held the gun up at him.

"C-can't," he murmured. He aimed the gun at Josie. "I'm so fucking _sorry_."

Before anyone could say anything, Michael pulled the trigger.

_And then there were two._

  - - - - - - - - - -

Calum rubbed his hand in comforting circles on Michael's back. He had just shot Josie.

"What did the note say?"

Michael didn't say anything, just gave the note to his best friend. Calum unfolded it and read it.

 _'Michael._  
_Use_ **_one_ ** _bullet. Either Calum or Josie die. You decide.'_

Swallowed back a lump in his throat. This person was _sick._

Before he could say anything to comfort Michael, he heard the voice one more time.

_Calum. Gun._

He picked the gun up.

_Both of you, stand._

They did, Michael needing Calum's help.

_Calum, Michael spared your life. This is how you are to repay him._

It was silent. Calum was waiting.

_The other bullet. Shoot him._

"Pardon?" Calum was mortified. How could the person expect him to shoot his best friend.

"W-wh _at_?" Michael choked on the word.

_You heard me. Michael almost shot you. Shoot him._

"Do it, Cal," Michael wasn't stuttering anymore. "I don't want to live anymore."

"But I _love you_ , Michael."

" _But_ , neither of us is making it out of here alive, Calum. It's either me or you. You better shoot me."

But Calum couldn't shoot his best friend. Michael moved the gun so it was on his head.

"Trigger, Calum."

Calum went to pull the trigger, and, at the last second, moved the gun. Calum had shot himself.

\- - - - - - - - - -

"Calum!" Michael screamed. He felt the tears again. He fell over, curling into a ball, bawlinghis eyes out.

He waited for the voice. Waited to hear ' _and then there was one_ '.

But he didn't hear that. He heard multiple voices.

"Michael!" His _friends_.

_And then there were seven._

_\- - - - - - - - - -_

Michael curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth. He has figured out why Calum wasn't back with him.

He didn't play by the rules. He didn't shoot Michael, so Calum was gone.

Michael rotated the gun in his hand. He felt tears in his eyes. He loves Calum.

And as he aimed the gun at his head, he swore he heard the voice say  _"and then there were six."_


End file.
